Rotary engine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. G. ROSLING.

ROTARY ENGINE.

No. 553,428. Patented Jan. 21, 1896..

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. G. ROSLING.

ROTARY ENGINE.

No. 553,428. Patented Jan. 21, 11896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. ROSLING, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 553,428, dated January21, 1896. Application filed September 23 1895. Serial No. 563,295. (Nomodel.)

To caZZ whom, it may cancer/L.-

Be it known that I, JOHN G. ROsLIN G, a citi zen of the United States,residing in Oakland, Alameda county, State of California, have inventedan Improvement in Rotary Engines; and I hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary engines.

It consists in certain details of construction which will be more fullyexplained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1is a View showing the mechanism for actuating the abutments. Fig. 2 isan exterior view from one side,showing the valveoperating mechanism.Fig. 3 is an interior View of the piston-chamber, one-half of the casebeing removed. Fig. 4 isa top view of one of the abutments. Fig. 5 is avertical cross-section through the case.

A is a circular case having within it an a11- nular piston-chamber, anda shaft B extending through the center, suitably journ aled exterior tothe case and having a disk 0 keyed to it within the case, and one ormore pistons D extending outwardly from the periphery of the disk andfitting the interior of the annular piston-chamber.

The piston has suitable packing upon the edges to form a steam-tightjoint between itself and the interior of the case as it rotates.

I have shown the packing as consisting of diagonally-slidingspring-actuated plates E, which are slotted so as to fit over diagonalguides F upon the rear face of the piston. These plates are also made tooverlap at their meeting edges, and as there are four of them, one foreach angle of the piston, it will be seen that when they move outwardlyfrom the center upon the diagonal guides F, the two outer edges of eachplate, which are at right angles with each other, will fit into acorresponding angle of the interior of the case in which the pistonmoves. The interior angles of these plates are cut away so as to leave acircular space, and within this space is fitted a spring or springs G,which act to force the packing-plates outwardlyand thus form thesteam-joint. This packing is fitted upon the rear face of the piston,which is a plane essentially radial with the shaft.

is out of its path.

The front face is inclined, as shown, so as to follow the abutments asthe latter are drawn outwardly to allow it to pass. The abutments II areslidable radially to and from the center, and have a suitable packingand cushion at the inner end to relieve the shock of closing. In thepresent case I have shown two upon opposite sides of the shaft, andthese abutments pass through suitable packing-chambers, extendingoutwardly from the case in the plane in which the abutments slide. Theseabutments have stems or shanks .1 extending in a line outwardly in theirline of travel, and they are connected with rockerarms J, suitably fulerumed to oscillate backward and forward and thus alternately move theabutments in and out of the piston-chamber. These rocker-arms J areconnected by connecting-rods K with a suitable means for oscillatingthem at the proper times to withdraw or close the abutments. In thepresent case I have shown these means to consist of a cam L fixed uponone of the projecting ends of the shaftB and suitably grooved to receivea roller l\I upon one end of a lever-arm N. The opposite end of thislever-arm is 0011- nected with the pitman or rod K, and through itmotion is thus communicated to actuate the rocker-arms J and the stems Iof the abutments.

The piston moving in the direction shown by the arrow, the inclinedfront face arrives at the abutment with that portion tangent with theinterior of the piston-chamber in advance, and at this instant theabutment is drawn backward at a rate of speed corresponding with theforward revolution and advance of the piston, so that thebackwardly-inclined front face of the piston follows the receding edgeof the abutment closely until the latter As soon as the piston hasfairly passed the abutment, the latter is instantly forced back so as toclose the annular piston-chamber behind the piston, and the Valve whichadmits steam through the port 0 or 0' will be opened so that steam willbe admitted behind the piston to force it through the first half of itstravel. At the same time the exhaust-port P will be closed to preventthe escape of steam through this port. The other steam-valve 0' will beclosed and the exhaust-port P will be opened. The piston ICO impelled bysteam admitted through this port 0 will travel through an arc of onehundred and eighty degrees, and the steam will then be shut oif. Thenext abutment to which the piston now approaches will be withdrawn toallow it to pass and then closed in behind it, the steam-port 0 willalso have been closed before the piston passes this abutment, and as theabutment returns to close the pistonchamber the exhaust-port P will beopened to allow the escape of the steam which had operated to impel thepiston through this portion of its travel. The same operation takesplace with the next steam-port and exhaust port, thus alternatelycontinuing so that the impulses of the steam upon the piston are verynearly continuous. In order to operate these valves I have shown a cam Qfixed upon the projecting end of the shaft B, and the periphery ofthiscam engages an antifrictional roller upon one end of a lever issuitably fulcrumed with relation to the cam and the case.

The valve 'sten1's Sa'nd 'Sc'onn'ect with any suitableforrn of slide,rotary or other valve, (not here showin) said valves controllingpassages in the steam pipe T which connects with each of the valvechambers so as to admit steam under pressure into them. U V Exterior-1ythe valve-stems'connect with an oscillating lever U so that whenonev'al've is openedthe other will be closed. vf f e verl has t enter ed nl b with the valve stem S, and by means the twovalve stems and theirintervening rockerm U er o lla ei The valve-stem S has one end of aleverarm XV connected with it, the lever-arm being centrallyfulcruime'd, and its opposite end is connected with a yoke a so disposedas to be oscillated bythe movement of the lever W. This yoke ct is, inturn, connected with the exhaust-valve stems b, and these valve-stemsand the valves which they actuate are alternately opened and closed atthe proper intervals by this connection. The opening and closing ofthese exhaust-valves is by these connections, and the operation of thecam, thus effected at the proper time with relation to the opening andclosing of the steam-ports and the movement of the abutment, to allowthe steam which has finished its work of impelling the piston to escape,and the opera tion thus becomes approximately continuous.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

In a rotary engine, a case having an annular piston chamber, a centralshaft, a disk fixed thereto projecting into the piston chamber, atriangularly shaped suitably packed piston fitting in said pistonchamber, abutments slidable radially, and mechanism driven from theshaft whereby the abutments are alternately reciprocated to open thechamber for the passage of the piston, and to close behind it, steamvalves opening into the piston chamber adjacent to the abutments, andexhaust .ports correspondingly opening outwardly from the chamber, withcontrolling valves, a mechanism whereby said valves are actuatedconsisting of valve stems projecting outwardly from the valve chambers,a rocker arm by which the stems are connected, a lever connected withone of said valve stems, a cam fixed upon the engine shaft engaging ananti-friction roller upon said lever whereby the steam valves arereciprocated, a second lever connected with one of the steam valve stemsat one end, and a yoke at the other, said yoke being connected with theexhaust valve stems whereby the latter are actuated in unison, inconjunction with the steam valves, x I V In witness whereof I havehereunto set my hand.

. I JOHN G. R'OSLING. Witnesses:

S. H, NOURSE, JESSIE '0. BRon'In.

